HAP. XIV.
CHAP.
XIV. I
Colonel FotirgèoucL a t Paramaribo—Example o f Ignorance
' 'in a Surgeon— O f Virtue in a Slave—O f Ferocity in a
Commander—fb e Troops re-enter the Woods—Accoun t
o f Loangg Dancing— Uncommon: Proof '. of Fidelity in a
■ Negfp. .
e A V IN G delayed his departure to the 29th “of.
April, Colonel Fourgeoud now finally rowed dowh
-for Paramaribo, accompanied by a few of his officers, to
refrelh themfélves; of which, in truth, tfifey had great
meed, while .an armed barge kept floating up and down
thé river,1 and while the remaining emaciated trbops
(which were melted down to a'very fmall number,jail'd
unfit, till recruited in their conftitiitions, for any further
military fervice) greatly required fome-reft. Juft before
the chiefs departure, he fent me (who now commanded
the river) the following very curious inftrudtions, which,
as a proof of his generalfhip, I cannot help inferting:
Amongft others, <e to afk the planters if the rebels were
ft come to their eftates, in which cafe to attack and drive.
u them away; but not to follow them, unlefs I wtts fure
tl that I certainly fhould conquer them, and for any mif-
“ carriage I lhould be called to an account;” which is, in
plain Englifh, that “ if I attacked the enemy without
M fuccefs,
f fqcqefs,! miift be puni'fhed;. and if I did not' attack them
at S.llj l was to be called .to .aepqunt fqr negle<£l of duty.”
However judicicusythe other artie^esjrhad 'received, I
could not help thinking», the above fo yery abfu-rd, that I
immediately returaed-them back by *an officer, and had
■the ghdd, fortune, (afe, m f ^equeft) to get them changed
into common fen fee :'
How happy was. I at this time in particular, w,ho. wanted
for nothing* and who had fuph an agreeable partner,con-
.ftmt^n e ar die,-. whole; fweet.comverfation; was, divine
raufte to my ears* and whole .prefence, banifh’ed every 1
languor and hardfiupjfom my mind *
One day, fisra/ing. with me through a’ wjatqry favanna,
;I fhot a hir'd, which-1 found to be the fpur-winged Water-
hen of Edwards. This beautiful creature, is-fuppofed to
be of the pfover kind,' vfith the body abbutshe fteebf a
<pigeon> being of a deep'cinnamon colour,« between red
and a very rich orange; the neck and belly are' perfe&’ly
black, the larger feathers of the wings of a bright
yellow, and armed bn each pinion with a fhort and
ftiarp horny fpur, which it ufes for its defence, as'game-
;c0tks ufe theirs in England*. \It has no tail; its bill is, near
two inches in" length; its legs are long, and,-as Welf as the
hill, are of a yellowifli green colour; its toes, efpecially
the hinder ones, are of a* remarkable length,-and feem
calculated to fupport its: weight in the mud,t. where it is
moffc frequently feen, if not wading in-the Water to feek
its; foojl. Thefe birds, like-plovers, never fwim; they have
X x i a fcarlet
CHAP.
XIV.
.